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A Short History of Tombstone

Silver, gunsmoke and a town that refused to die.

Tombstone timeline

Silver in the hills (1877–1879)

Prospector Ed Schieffelin was warned the only thing he would find in these hills was his tombstone. Working out of Brunckow’s Cabin in 1877, he found silver and filed his first claim, named Tombstone, on September 3, 1877. The town site was surveyed and the town founded in March 1879 on a mesa above the Goodenough Mine. By late 1879 a few thousand people lived there, and the town’s first newspaper, the Nugget, had started.

The silver boom

Mines, saloons, theaters and newspapers followed. The Tombstone Epitaph was founded in 1880 by John Clum and is still published. In 1881 the new Cochise County was created with Tombstone as its seat. The Bird Cage Theatre opened on December 26, 1881. Some accounts put the peak population near 10,000; the census counted 973 in 1880 and 1,875 in 1890.

Fire on Allen Street (1881–1882)

Hasty boomtown building left Tombstone open to fire. On June 22, 1881, a fire that began in the Arcade Saloon destroyed 66 businesses, the eastern half of the business district. On May 25, 1882, a second blaze destroyed most of the western half; only the O.K. Corral’s sign survived. Both times the town rebuilt.

The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (October 26, 1881)

Virgil, Wyatt and Morgan Earp and Doc Holliday faced the Cowboys Ike and Billy Clanton, Tom and Frank McLaury, and Billy Claiborne in an empty lot on Fremont Street, a short distance from the O.K. Corral. About 30 shots were fired in around 30 seconds. Billy Clanton and both McLaurys were killed.

The aftermath

Murder charges were filed against the Earps and Holliday. After a month-long preliminary hearing before Judge Wells Spicer, they were found to have acted lawfully. The feud went on. On December 28, 1881, Virgil was ambushed and maimed. On March 18, 1882, Morgan was shot dead through the glass door of Campbell & Hatch’s saloon. Wyatt then led a federal posse after the suspects, a hunt remembered as the Earp Vendetta Ride.

Boothill Graveyard

The town cemetery was established in 1878. Billy Clanton and the McLaury brothers are buried there. After 1883 it was used only for outlaws and a few others. A separate Jewish cemetery lies nearby.

Flooding and decline

From 1880 the silver mines reached the water table and needed pumps. In 1886 a fire destroyed the pumping station, and rebuilding the costly pumps was judged unprofitable. Tombstone nearly became a ghost town. Being the county seat kept it alive until 1929, when the county offices moved to Bisbee.

The Town Too Tough to Die

The town motto, “The Town Too Tough To Die,” fits. Helldorado Days began in 1929 to mark the town’s 50th anniversary. It is held every October and is Tombstone’s oldest festival. In 1961 the Tombstone Historic District was named a National Historic Landmark.

The Courthouse

The two-story Victorian Cochise County Courthouse was built in 1882 in the shape of a cross. It held the sheriff, recorder, treasurer, supervisors and courtrooms. The last county office left in 1931. The Tombstone Restoration Commission acquired it in 1955. In 1959 it became the first Arizona state park to open. It is now Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park, with a replica gallows in the courtyard.

Books & Bookshops

Want to read more? These shops in Tombstone sell Tombstone and Old West history books (checked October 23, 2026; call ahead for hours):

Plan your visit: see attractions like the O.K. Corral and Boothill, upcoming Tombstone events, directions and parking and the map of the historic district.

Sources: Arizona State Parks · Tombstone Epitaph · Bird Cage Theatre · Wikipedia · Gunfight at the O.K. Corral · Ed Schieffelin · Boothill Graveyard · Helldorado Days · Courthouse State Historic Park · Discover Tombstone (shops) · America’s State Parks

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